At a new center-running bus stop on Flatbush Avenue, between Atlantic and Fourth Avenues, riders face a choice: wait for the B41 and B67 buses, or hail a passing dollar van.
Flatbush is the first of five rapid-bus corridors projected for completion by 2030, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said. The project is part of the $882 million city-state initiative “Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service.” About 69,000 riders on six MTA bus routes use the northern stretch of Flatbush Avenue each day, where buses move as slowly as 4 mph, according to an April 2026 briefing from the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT). The DOT argues that physically separating buses from private vehicles, via a bus-only center lane, is the best way to protect pedestrians and improve overall efficiency.
The intersection outside Atlantic Terminal is one of the busiest transportation hubs in Brooklyn, according to NYC DOT. The Long Island Rail Road, nine subway lines and two malls converge at this intersection, and Barclays Center, home to the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty, sits just 900 feet away. Now, southbound riders board from concrete islands in the middle of the street, instead of the sidewalk…